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Published: November 15th 2022
Graduation Day
Damaris has been my student every Saturday for over 2 years. She invited me to her graduation ceremony. She is now a physical therapist with strong English skills. Hola Hola!
It's been a busy couple of months with plenty of travel and adventures!! Damaris has been one of my English learners for over two years. She's a college student who came to Baños every Saturday for her lesson, all the way from Ambato an hour away. She completed her degree in Physical Therapy at the Technical University of Ambato, and I was an invited guest of honor to her graduation.
After the elegant ceremony, her parents invited me to join the whole family for a celebratory dinner in a local restaurant. Since Damaris and her mom had been in charge of the decorations and the cap and gown rentals, I stayed behind to help them collect the robes from all 26 of the graduates and to help load all the flowers and balloons into her dad's jeep.
The actual dinner didn't end up happening until quite a bit later, which meant I had to drive all the way home on rainy, dark roads. Driving in Ambato is hectic at the best of times and there's one awful stretch of road
Graduation Ceremony
It was a very formal and elegant ceremony. I felt very proud of my sweet student, Damaris (far left in this pic) where five lanes becomes three and there are tons of big trucks with their disco lights flashing. I don't go out of my way to drive at night these days - especially now that my eyesight has become somewhat compromised, but more about that later.
A few months back one of my hot springs buddies, José, asked me if I would help his son, Joseph, plan a visit to Ecuador. José has a lot of family in Quito, but lived many years in California. He retired in Baños almost 20 years ago and his US born son had never been down for a visit. So, I helped Joseph and his girlfriend Michelle plan an itinerary for their too-short 9-day visit. I arranged to meet them in Quito and drive them directly from the airport down to Baños, a 3-hour trip when there's no traffic..
Most international flights arrive late at night, but fortunately theirs arrived at 2:00 pm. They made it quickly through immigration and customs (not many planes come in at that time) and we were on the road quickly and
Jungle Kids
Visitors Joseph and Michelle enjoying their jungle lodge adventure. back in Baños by dusk. In the morning I drove back over to José's house to leave my car with them for the next few days so they could explore - José doesn't have a car so he rented my car for $40 per day and also paid me for taking the kids around (kids! they're in their 40's!)
After they spent a few days in Baños with Pops, they came to pick me up in my car and we drove down to the jungle. The very edge of the Amazon Basin is Puyo, just over an hour from Baños, but we continued further in to a jungle lodge where they had reserved three nights. We stopped along the way at Casa de la Balsa gift shop and we also visited a chocolate-making cottage industry.
I dropped them at Huasquila Lodge near Archidona in the early evening, then returned to Tena (20 minutes back) where I stayed at the home of my friends Chelsea and her indigenous husband, Timo. They live deeper in the jungle but they've built two rooms, a nice
Jungle River
Anne the mermaid, snoozing on the rocks. So many personal jacuzzi spots in this stretch of river! bathroom and a kitchen alongside Timo's old family home which is closer to town and now houses his ceramic studio. Chelsea's mom, Anne stays in one of the rooms and they'd fixed the other room up beautifully for me.
I enjoyed spending some time with Chelsea and Timo and their two amazing kids (ages 6 & 4). Went along to the kids' Tae Kwan Do class one afternoon and played with them in the park. One morning Anne and I went in search of a place to swim in nature and found this perfect spot in the river on the edge of town. Nestling between the rocks to discover natural hydromassage - heavenly!
I picked up Joseph and Michelle after their jungle adventure and thoroughly enjoyed hearing them recount stories and experiences. Their joy and enthusiasm was uplifiting. Really lovely folks! I must confess, I jockeyed the kids' itinerary a bit in order to be able to arrive in Papallacta just in time for me to celebrate Marianne's 60th birthday with her.
Marianne
Marianne's Big Birthday
All dolled up for her 60th! is one of my oldest friends in Ecuador - we met over 15 years ago in Puerto Lopez. Now she had travelled all the way up from the coast to fulfill her dream of turning 60 and being pampered to the max at one of her favorite spa spots. I brought presents and decorations and, since Joseph and Michelle decided to stay at a different, fancier place than ours, I got to spend all of their deposit $ on food and drink for me and Marianne! We enjoyed the hot pools at our hotel in the afternoon and evening, and the next morning we went over to the large public spa area.
This mineral springs complex has been a special place to me for a long time. While I was teaching in Quito in the late 1980's, I went to Papallacta with my mom and dad when they came down to visit. Back then Termas de Papallacta consisted of one rustic hot pool beside the river. Now there are over a dozen different pools - some more natural, some more like swimming pools, one with jets all around the perimeter, another
The Birthday Girl
Marianne lounging in the Papallacta hot springs with a waterfall, others tucked into a hillside, pools of different depths and temperatures...I especially enjoyed the powerful massaging showers in an underground cavern.
Not to mention the exquisite scenery and greenery all around! Located in the high paramo, there's a chill to the air as you scurry from one warm pool to another. We were fortunate to be treated to glimpses of snow-capped Andean peaks, peeking from their cloudy summits.
After depositing 'the kids' in Quito where Joseph had plans to meet up with some cousins he'd never before met, I went down to the valley below the city to spend some time with my friend Annie. She's a bit of a packrat and she had a friend coming to share her apartment so we dove in, went to work and cleared out one of the bedrooms for her guest. It was a matter of shuffling things around, re-organizing and making best use of space. I helped her clear off some of the kitchen counters and re-arrange cabinet contents in a more practical way. Alas, while walking barefoot on her wooden
Laura & the Arupo Tree
Outside the Quito Botanical Gardens in Parque Carolina on Laura's first days in Ecuador. floor I slid and jammed my second toe into a plank. As I write this, two months later, the entire top half of that toe is still purple - oy!
Returning to Baños, I got hit with a sore throat that I quickly realized was most likely strep. An antibiotic blitz of azithromycin didn't touch it, so the doc insisted that I do the ten-day cycle of amoxicillin (wreaks havoc on my Crohn's intestinal issues!). All well just in time to meet my next visitor, but a few days before her arrival I started having some pain in my left eye. When I would turn my head or bend down to pick something up, it would feel like a pulled muscle or something. Also, i was starting to see floaties - spots and threads dancing across my line of vision. I'd had floaties once before, a few years earlier, but they'd resolved themselves within a few weeks. Now here I was, the day before my friend's arrival, and I awakened to see the entire white of my eye streaked with deep red. Something was definitely NOT right!
Bonsai Pavilion
At the Quito Botanical Gardens the Bonsai exhibition is sponsored by the descendants of the Jewish refugees who were welcomed in Ecuador in 80 years ago. I had managed to book an opthamologist appointment for the morning after Laura's arrival. I slowly and carefully made the journey to Quito to meet her late night flight and even more carefully made the drive from the airport in the valley to our hostel up in Quito. The next morning I booked a trusted taxi driver to take me back down to the valley to see my doctor. She's the same doc who removed the cataract from my right eye in 2019, so I already knew and liked her very much.
Now Dra Freile diagnosed me with acute uveitis; a severe inflammation of the uveal sac which houses most of the important elements of the eye. Uveitis is an unfortunate by-product of Crohn's (and other inflammatory auto-immune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ulcerative Colitis). She prescribed cortisone drops to bring down the swelling and ordered an injection for my pain. Interestingly enough, the drops they use to dilate your eyes also have an anti-inflammatory effect. They are not available to the public so the doctora carefully dispensed 20 of these drops into a sterile dropper
Bizcocho Factory
Flaky biscuits made with lard. This little factory turns out 10,000 biscuits a day! for me to use each night, increasing the anti-inflammatory action of the prednisone drops.
I was ordered to stay in bed for a day with my eyes closed so, on her very first day in Ecuador, I sent Laura off to Quito's Centro Histórico (old town) with my taxi driver. I didn't feel too awful about having to abandon her since she would be with me more for over three weeks; we'd have plenty of time to adventure together! I napped and listened to podcasts and tried not to panic. My eye doctor assured me that she saw NO retinal involvement so it was almost certain we'd be able to resolve this problem without any permanent damage or lasting ill effects. I felt better enough to meet up with an old friend for dinner that evening around the corner from the hostel.
By the following morning the scary redness had all but disappeared and the pain was 100% gone! Laura and I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens in Carolina Park. We strolled through the orchid greenhouse, enjoyed the Bonsai Pavilion
Bizcocho con Queso de Hoja
A sheet of creamy white cheese, rolled into a banana leaf wrapper - the perfect pairing with these biscuit specialties from Cayambe. and bopped across the street for lunch at a Chinese Restaurant. Since CiCi was with us, I asked the waiter if we were ok at an out-of-the-way table with CiCi underneath. He said, sure, but a few minutes later the big boss came and led us to a private room with a huge revolving table and a door that closed. We felt like honored guests...or prisoners - on of the two!
From Quito we headed north the following day, stopping at the Quitosato equator monument and solar clock near the town of Cayambe, a village famous for its 'bizcochos y queso de hoja'. After a very informative tour at the equator monument, we visited a little factory where a half a dozen guys were skillfully working the bizcocho (biscuit) dough, cutting it into perfect thumb-sized batons and lining them up on metal pans. They worked quickly and efficiently; a perfectly orchestrated team. It was very satisfying to watch their coordinated dance of creation! The biscuits are made with lard so they're super-flaky once baked. We werer told that this tiny, low-ceilinged workshop turns out 10,000 bizcochos a day! They are sold
Sunset in the Hot Tub
Casa Mojanda's wood-fired wooden hot tub offers breathtaking views and was the perfect way to unwind from long days of sightseeing. with queso de hoja - a flat pancake of tasty mozzarella-type cheese rolled up in a banana leaf (hoja) and the two are eaten together. The combo of textures and flavors is simply divine! Our gastronomical tour is well underway!
Our next stop near Lago San Pablo was a bit of a bust. The Condor Park is nicely laid out - lots of walking - but no one bothered to let us know that there wouldn't be another show/demonstration for three more hours. No, we didn't wait around but we strolled the grounds and admired the caged raptors before continuing onward and upward to Otavalo. Just as we arrived at the Plaza de Ponchos, the sky opened with a massive downpour. As we watched the artisans scramble to protect their wares from the deluge, we indulged in outrageously delicious pie at the Shenandoah Pie Shop. We greeted the baker who has been creating mile-high delicacies for over 35 years. I ate at this pie shop back in the 1980's while I was living in Quito!
Late afternoon we arrived at our lodgings
With Betti and David
Dear friend Betti, owner of Casa Mojanda, set up a comfy apartment space for us to spend a few days. We shared stellar meals in the gorgeous dining room with her and her new beau. for the night. Casa Mojanda is a magical lodge with spectacular landscape all around. Perched above Otavalo just off a cobbled road, my dear friend Betti owns and runs this classy place! She has an impressive collection of art from all over the world and it's stunningly displayed on white adobe walls throughout the lodge. She fixed up a two bedroom apartment for us where we quickly changed into swimsuits to enjoy sunset from the outdoor wooden hot tub. Ahhh!! The tub is heated by woodfire which creates a warming embrace. perfect to loosen driving strain. Watching the evening light fade over the emerald green patchwork hillsides, we geared up for a spectacular dinner with our hosts. Betti and David joined us for breakfasts and dinners in front of the fireplace during our two-night stay at Casa Mojanda. Lively conversation, joyful laughter and a wonderful time was had by all!
We hoped to visit the Otavalo animal market, but they had changed the day and the location! We found the new location but only encountered the small animals (ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.). The market was great for taking pictures of
Focus and Concentration
CiCi spotted this guatusa (also known as guanta and agouti in other parts of the world). She was transfixed for quite a while! people though - vendors in traditional dress, real-life interactions. Laura is a photographer/graphic designer so many of the visits on our itinerary were planned for glimpsing wildlife and indigenous daily routine. Leaving the Otavalo area, we stopped at the other equator monument. The larger, more touristy monument, it ends up, is not actually directly on the equator line as discovered recently via GPS. Now there is an ethnographic museum called Inti Ñan (path of the sun) located just beyond it and right on the equatorial line. Charming tours in English!
On the way to Mindo we stopped at Sacha Tamia (Rain Forest Lodge) but since they wouldn't let CiCi inside, we just hung out in their gardens, had something to drink and watched the hummingbirds. Overlooking the valley, CiCi suddenly strained at the leash and became very rigid and focused. She had spotted a guatusa (large rodent) raiding the bird feeder log below. I've never seen her hold so still for so long. I'm sure she smelled it before she saw it - not sure I would have even noticed it if she hadn't pointed it out.
Me & CiCi
At the Butterfly Park in Mindo. CiCi was the best travel buddy ever. I had booked ahead for a room in Mindo since we were going to be arriving on a holiday weekend. It wasn't easy to find a place that would accept CiCi! I've been to Mindo (famous for butterflies and hummingbirds!) at least a dozen times, but never before had I seen it so crowded. It's an easy day trip from Quito (just over an hour and a half drive) and the town was packed with day-trippers (and overnighters as we soon found out). The room I had booked for us was extremely rustic (it sounded like the next door neighbors were in the room with us!) so we immediately went to work to book more adequate lodgings for our second night. We found a pleasant hostel that agreed to accept CiCi and reserved two single rooms - my room even had a bathtub which is a real treat in this part of the world!!
While in Mindo we bird-watched from the breakfast terrace, took the tarabita tramway cable car over the lush green valley, and visited El Quetzal for the chocolate-making tour (and a great meal!).
Full Beauty Treatment
Laura's hair dye was transformational! I was almost tempted to cover some of my own grey, but withheld. I've never colored my hair in my life! CiCi and I hung out by the river while Laura spent some time in the Mariposario (butterfly gardens). We didn't indulge in tubing down the river but watched as the guides carried the daisy-lashed inner tubes to the water's edge. Since Laura had fairly recently had knee-replacement surgery, our hiking activities were somewhat limited. She did very well all of the places that CiCi and I dragged her to though! We got an early start out of Mindo since we had to swing back through Quito for my follow-up visit with the opthamologist. Even though it was a holiday weekend, the doctor agreed to meet me at her private consultorio to do a cursory exam and confirm our treatment plan.
Next stop, Black Sheep Inn near the Quilotoa crater. If you are a regular blog reader, you will recall that a couple of months ago I went to this same place with my friend Beth right before the Indigenous strikes began. The blog before last has a series of photos of this area, so I won't add more of them here. Again we were invited to stay in the owners' guest
Maricarmen at the Orquidearia
A half hour above Baños is a lovely Orchid Garden (sales and exposition) and we had a lovely visit with Laura, Shana, and Maricarmen. house for just the cost of cleaning. I arranged with the manager for us to have our meals in the lodge, but this time there were very few other guests. The all-vegetarian cuisine was delicious as usual! We enjoyed the hillside sauna and jacuzzi and visited the cheese factory up on the hill before heading out to the Quilotoa Crater overlook. We were deciding whether or not to spend a night in Latacunga to visit the Thursday market in Saquisilí, but Laura got a stomach bug so we hightailed it back to Baños.
For the next two weeks we used Baños as a home base and took day trips and overnight excursions. During the first week Laura got the full beauty treatment (hair color, blow dry, mani/pedi, & facial - all for under $100 total!!). We went out for some lovely meals in town, cruised the Friday vegetable market, made yummy food here at home, visited different hot springs complexes, walked in the hills with CiCi and generally enjoyed Baños. We drove up the mountain with Shana and Maricarmen to visit Orquidearia los Corazones - an extensive orchid garden with a
Saquisilí Animal Market
Wool fedora hats abound in the Andes, both for men and women. Baaaahhhh huge exhibition area and plants for sale. Of course we stopped for coffee and crepes at Café del Cielo, the fancy hotel café on the hillside overlooking all of Baños.
The following Thursday, Maricarmen came with us to Saquisilí for the weekly indigenous market. We spent time at the bustling, large animal market -- what a scene! Again, the traditionally dressed people were the best subjects for photography! We wandered the various market plazas, marveling at the huge, straw-wrapped wheels of panela - unrefined brown sugar. There were vendors of hardware, furniture, baskets and straw mats, clothing, prepared foods, and everything else you can imagine. We gazed upon the enormous roasted pigs. When Laura asked to take a photo, the pig lady asked her for a dollar and then gave her a crispy ear! Yum! Be sure to scroll all the way to the end and click on next to see more of Laura's outstanding market pics!
Much to Mari's delight, we agreed to stop at the shopping mall in Latacunga on the way home from the market. Both she and I
Pig Lady
Laura asked if she could take a picture, the woman asked for a dollar, and once the photo was shot she gave Laura a crispy, crunchy ear. Yum! had lists of things to buy at the Supermaxi grocery store which stocks many of the imported goods that are not available in Baños. As we loaded our groceries into the car, we noticed that one of the tires was completely flat. Two of the grocery clerks quickly took off the tire and drove it over to a nearby Vulcanizadora (tire repair shop). The guys decided that this would be much easier than putting on the spare and driving over there. Just $5 and 15 minutes later we were having lunch, then on the road back home.
I arranged for Laura to spend the night at my friends' rainforest reserve, Finca Palmonte. We visited the Ruta de las Cascadas (Waterfall Route) on the way down to Rio Negro where Alex and Arlette have built comfortable lodging and a scientific research station in the incredibly biodiverse Llanganates-Sangay Ecological Corridor. I drove Laura to the main gate where Alex came and met us in his sturdy four-wheel drive truck. They invited me to stay for lunch so I got a glimpse of the dense vegetation and bird life in the area. Laura spent
Cock of the Rock
Gallo de la Peña as seen from Laura's bathroom window at Finca Palmonte! the night in their newly completed suite and was able to hike with them to the lek where dozens of Cock-of-the-Rock birds come to feed. El Gallo de la Peña is one of the showiest birds with its bright red crown. It can only be glimpsed in a very few zones of the Andean rainforest region. Laura was thrilled with the photos she managed to capture of this elusive bird.
When I went to pick her up the following morning, I had Shana, Maricarmen and CiCi in tow and we continued on down to our favorite jungle restaurant, Swiss Bistro's Finca de la Vaca. Alas, it began pouring down rain as soon as we arrived so no one felt much like swimming in the riverbend pools. We had a great meal as the rain crashed down on the terrace roof. Patrick's Harlequin Great Dane, Berna, was nursing her 6-week old puppies - adorable as can be! No surprise that Patrick had already found homes for them all even before they were born! As we were about to leave the restaurant, we discovered that another one of my tires was flat. Oh
Berna's Pup
My Swiss friend Patrick has a harlequin Great Dane named Berna (Spanish for Bern, Patrick's city of birth). Berna produced six perfect pups...all are going to loving homes! no! Not again! Two of the waiters made quick work of putting on the little wheelie spare which, with me driving slowly and carefully, successfully ferried us to the nearest repair shop at a gas station 20 minutes away.
Laura and I took an overnight trip to the high Andean village of Salinas de Guaranda. This time we left CiCi with the neighbors since we'd be visiting several factories where CiCi would not be allowed. Salinas (named for a now defunct salt mine on the hillside) was 'adopted' by an Italian Priest (Padre Polo) some 40+ years ago. He has helped villagers start up numerous businesses and enterprises, ensuring that everyone in the town has work. The road to Guaranda passes along the slopes of Chimborazo Volcano, the highest Andean peak in Ecuador (which is also the closest point on earth to the sun). The summit, at over 20,000 ft is located on the planet's bulge, so it's officially the furthest point from the earth's core.
The highway passes through a Vicuña Reserve so these graceful camelids, the more delicate cousins of
Vicuña Reserve
The more delicate, more elegant cousins of llamas and alpacas live free and wild on the lower slopes of Chimborazo Volcano llamas and alpacas, cross freely and fearlessly from one side to the other making for fabulous photo opportunities!! It was a somewhat stressful drive with lots of fog (driving through clouds?) and we also passed through a brief hailstorm. In the previous days my right eye had also begun to develop symptoms of inflammation (floating spots and threads) so it required intense focus to see the road clearly. Yeah, I know - I should probably not have been driving. I went slowly and carefully and got us everywhere safely!
On the way into the town of Salinas, we stopped to visit the Salinerito cheese factory. A Swiss consultant started up the project which now produces over a dozen types of aged cheeses which are exported all over the country. We visited the yarn factory, fascinated by the huge, antiquated machinery used to wash and card the enormous mountains of lambswool. We saw them sorting and packing huge skeins of dyed, spun wool and spent time in the factory store where the 'ovillos' (ovule shaped skeins) were deliciously displayed by color. I indulged in a handwoven, 100% lambswool blanket for only $25
Wash That Wool
Heaps of shorn sheep - the wool-washing process was fascinating! What a difference! and I also bought two small striped wool rugs for $10 each!!
Conveniently located near the yarn factory is the knitters' cooperative. The building was not yet open but the knitters were lined up out front, avidly knitting and chatting and laughing. When we arrived they sent a boy up the hill to tell the keeper of the key to hurry up and finish her lunch; that there were tourists who wanted to visit the shop. Once the door was opened, the group of lively knitters shuffled inside to a sunny room where they pulled up chairs and benches to continue their knitting circle. We admired their handicraft in the sweater shop - hats and scarves and even knitted shoes. When Laura went to pay for her purchases, the cashier pulled out a huge calculator, chuckling that she could no longer see the numbers well. Laura offered her a pair of reading glasses and told her she could keep them. The vendor then reached into a small bag and pulled out an alpaca scarf which she gifted to Laura. An exchange of genuine kindness and caring that brought a tear to
Colored Skeins
Alongside the wool processing plant is this lovely shop - found exquisite, handwoven, 100% lambswool blankets for $25 each! all of our eyes!
Since the town is very hilly and at high altitude, we parked the car in front of our hostel and hired a taxi to take us to the chocolate factory and the essential oils shop. As night fell we walked across the street to the famous pizza shop - exquisite! We ordered an extra one so we could enjoy cold pizza for breakfast the next morning on our way to Simiatug, a weekly village market located a half hour further up the mountain. Every street in this small village swells with vendors on market day. Many of the women sell their colorful shigra bags, hand woven from cabuya fiber. Laura bought several and got lots of great photos too. We ended up driving home the same route we'd come (I was not successful in finding the alternate route out from Simiatug) which meant we saw more vicuñas on the way back down the mountain.
It was time to take Laura back to Quito for her flight to Iquitos, Peru where she would spend another two weeks on an
Carpe Diem Pizza
Laura and I shared some spectacular meals. Here, at my favorite pizza place in Baños. That's Cecilio (aka CiCi) in the back...just like my pooch! Earthwatch Expedition. We decided to go to Quito a day early so I could see the opthamologist again. I hired a taxi for the whole morning and we first dropped Laura up at the Teleferiqo mountain cable car overlooking the city. Then the driver took me to my eye doctor appointment and waited for me to come out, eyes dilated. We went back to pick up Laura and then swung by the Iñaquito market so I could buy orange sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving (only the floury purple ones are available in Baños). The dilation wore off in time for me to drop Laura at the airport a bit early so I could hightail it back to Baños and arrive before dark. She left Ecuador, very content with her travels and adventures! Thanks again for all your generosity Laura!!
Update on my eyes: After two weeks of oral steroids (prednisone tablets) I could no longer handle the horrible side effects - insomnia, night sweats, muscle cramping, weight gain. A friend drove up with me to Quito for my last appointment where they injected a cortisone solution around the uveal sac. It's supposed
Field of Lupines
Flor de Choco - lupine beans are an important source of protein in the Andes. They must be assiduously soaked and prepared for safe consumption. to seep in over the next three weeks. I'm now in the sixth week since I began treatment and I'm finally starting to see marked improvement. I am grateful for the excellent care I've received and for the constant reassurance that this will resolve without permanent damage. We take our eyesight for granted and when it becomes compromised, it's pretty terrifying! Since my problem is apparently related to Crohn's, there's no guarantee I won't experience this problem again in the future...but I hope not! In the coming months I will have the left eye cataract removed, hopefully restoring my vision to very near 20-20!
Thanks for reading. Leave a comment if you wish...and check out the bonus photos below!!
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Ecuador
We are taking our first trip to Ecuador in February. I enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks for posting.